Heimler APUSH TP 5.11

Post-Civil War Reconstruction

• Overview of the Reconstruction process and its failures following the Civil War

• Focus on two historical realities:

  • Lack of change in Southern society and economics post-war

  • The end of Reconstruction

Southern Society After the War

• Emancipation of black population led to the establishment of:

  • Black schools for education

  • Black colleges, such as Morehouse and Howard

  • Elected representation for some black men

• Freedmen’s Bureau:

  • Aided in family reunification and facilitated education and social welfare

Continuous Oppression

• Despite advancements, white population created oppressive conditions resembling pre-Civil War slavery:

  • Sharecropping System:

    • Originally replaced a system of coerced plantation labor

    • Black workers bound to plantations via contracts that allowed unlimited labor extraction

    • Sharecropping: workers received land, seed, and supplies in exchange for a share of the harvest

    • Practically led to cycles of debt and continued servitude for black workers

    • Also affected poor white farmers

• White Supremacy and Violence:

  • Concepts of racial superiority persisted despite constitutional citizenship

  • Formation of the Ku Klux Klan (established 1867):

    • Used terror tactics including lynchings and political intimidation to maintain white supremacy

Black Codes

• Legislative efforts to enforce racial discrimination through Black Codes:

  • Prohibited black Americans from borrowing to buy or rent land

  • Prohibited black testimony against white individuals in court

  • Enforced segregation in public and private life

The End of Reconstruction (1877)

• Marked by the controversial presidential election of 1876 between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes:

  • Tilden won the popular vote but not enough electoral votes, causing disputes in three states: South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida

  • Special electoral commission, with a Republican majority, declared Hayes the winner

Compromise of 1877

• Agreement between Democrats and Republicans:

  • Democrats conceded the election to Hayes

  • Condition of the agreement: Withdrawal of all federal troops from the South

• Consequences:

  • Democrats regained control leading to harsher conditions for the black population

  • Highlighted the federal government's abandonment of Reconstruction efforts

Conclusion

• Reflection on the impact of Reconstruction's end on Southern society and ongoing racial tensions.

• Encouragement for further study through available resources.